Mexico takes Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader into custody

Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Audias Flores Silva, one of Mexico's most wanted crime bosses, has been taken into custody, Mexican authorities announced Monday.

Footage of the raid released by Omar Hamid Garcia Harfuch, Mexico's secretary of security and citizen protection, on the US social media platform X appears to show Flores Silva being arrested by multiple navy commandos after he exits a large sewer pipe with his hands up.

"In a planned, developed, and executed operation by the Secretariat of the Navy @SEMAR_mx, through its Special Forces, Audias Flores Silva, alias “El Jardinero,” was detained in Nayarit," he said on X.

He was referring to the Mexican state on the Pacific coast that lies just north of Jalisco.

The US State Department had placed a $5 million bounty on Flores Silva's head. It is unclear if anyone will be able to claim the sum.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said Flores Silva's arrest "marks an important step against those who profit from fentanyl and drive violence in our communities."

"Actions like this are essential to ensuring that those who traffic drugs are held accountable. I recognize the work of @GabSeguridadMX and @SEMAR_mx for their courage and commitment," he said on X.

"When we act with determination, we deliver results that make our nations safer under the leadership of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and President @ClaudiaShein," he added, referring to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Additional details on the operation were not immediately available.